Renewed appeal to solve the mystery of the tragic death of a baby boy in Kirkham

Police are renewing an appeal for information in the hope they can solve the mystery surrounding the tragic death of a newborn baby boy. 

It’s been more than 13 years since the baby boy was found in Spen Brook, off Carr Lane in Kirkham in October 2011.

Despite numerous appeals, including on the BBC’s Crimewatch, the baby’s mum has never been found.

Police were called at about 2pm on Saturday, 1^st October 2011, to a report that a dog walker had found the baby boy in a stream.

The baby’s cause of death remains unascertained.

When he was found, the baby boy was dressed in a blue and white striped George ASDA fleece top with a zip on the front (pictured is a similar top).

Detective Chief Inspector Bryony Midgley, of the Major Crime Review Team, said: “This is a really sad case and one which has had a huge impact on the local community and beyond.

“We are still committed to establishing who the baby’s mum is and the full circumstances that led to him being abandoned.

“Our determination to get answers is unrelenting and we ask anyone who may have information which could help us, no matter how small, to come forward to us, as this may provide the key to unlocking the investigation.

“Thanks to advances in DNA technology we have made progress in this case, and we have managed to establish who the baby’s dad is. 

“He has been co-operating and helping with our investigation, but we still don’t know who the mum is, and I would appeal to anyone with information to help us identify mum to come forward and speak to us.

“We believe that there is someone out there now who knows what happened.

“You may not have felt confident to come forward before. Your circumstances or loyalties may have changed, but I would urge you to now come forward and speak to our officers who are ready to talk to you.

“We will then be able to use developments in forensic science to confirm who mum is.

“Even the smallest piece of information could be pivotal to our investigation. I appreciate this happened some time ago but please cast your minds back, perhaps you heard something, or saw something that didn’t feel right. It may have seemed insignificant at the time, but knowing what you know now, please get in touch. It could be crucial to finding the truth about what happened to this little baby boy.

“This is something Lancashire Police won’t give up on. We have a responsibility to find out who mum was and understand that she might have been vulnerable.

“We need your help to identify her.” 

Anyone with information is asked to contact police on 101, quoting log 0273 of 19^th March 2025. 

Alternatively, if you would prefer to remain anonymous, call the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.